The Gift of Life
Mom is Proud to Be Daughter’s Organ Donor
Olga Torres, holding 16-month-old Flormarie, couldn’t bear her youngest daughter’s suffering from biliary atresia, a common cause of childhood liver failure.
I decided I was going to be the one who will save my daughter’s life,” says Mrs. Torres, of Cleveland.
She proved to be a compatible donor, and on June 24, 2009, Cleveland Clinic surgeons Charles Miller, MD and Bijan Eghtesad, MD, successfully transplanted a small piece of her liver into 8-month-old Flormarie.
“I thank God and all the doctors who fought for my child’s life. I am the happiest woman on earth,” says Mrs. Torres. Before, I had a withering flower. Now I have a new one.”
She has since become a passionate advocate for organ donation. “To be able to donate a little piece of you for your child, family member or someone you do not know is a wonderful feeling.”
For an appointment at our Children’s Hospital, please call 216.444.KIDS (5437).
The Gift of Play
Young Doctors Learn Its Healing Power
Pulling a homemade magic wand from his coat, a pediatric resident distracts a young patient while her blood is drawn. In another room, a resident asks a mother to hold her 3-year-old in a bear hug while an IV (intravenous) line is inserted.
Child life specialists – experts in child development who understand how children think and cope at different ages – champion such techniques to humanize the hospital experience for children and families.
At Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital, they teach pediatric residents (doctors-in-training) skills never mastered in medical school; how to comfort patients and calm families experiencing stress during a hospitalization.
Last year, they provided an innovative educational experience for residents, teaching child development, coping skills and “medical play” at six interactive stations.
Residents learned techniques such as using tiny balls of Play-Doh to illustrate the difference between normal cells and cancer cells.
“Children learn best through play,” Child Life Supervisor Shannon Sonnhalter, BS, CCLS, explains.
This year, Child Life held their first ever “Doc the Doc” event, giving patients the opportunity to hold stethoscopes to their doctor’s heart or practice giving their doctor a “poke” in the arm.
The right skill set can also eliminate the need for sedatives. After mastering age-appropriate techniques, “residents can encourage children to cooperate with medical procedures, such as holding still for an MRI or bloodwork,” says Sonnhalter.
The hands-on learning has been a huge hit. “The residents have fun, and gain confidence using coping and play techniques with their patients,” says Sonnhalter. The result: fewer tears, faster treatment and less stress.
For an appointment at our Children’s Hospital, please call 216.444.KIDS (5437).
The Gift of Health
‘Shaping’ a Better Future
Ariel Feldstein, MD, was amazed and saddened at the number of pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) cases he saw when he joined Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital in 2004. At the time, little was known of this condition, in which fatty deposits build up in the liver.
NAFLD affects about 10 percent of children in the United States – Most of whom are overweight or obese, says Dr. Feldstein, Head of Pediatric Research in Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology. If untreated, it leads to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in some children.
“When the liver can’t handle the overload of fatty lipids, it triggers a fibrotic response, and permanent scarring occurs,” he explains. “This can lead to cirrhosis and, in some cases, cancer of the liver.”
Because not all children with NAFLD go on to develop NASH, the only way to identify those at high risk has been through liver biopsy. In a laboratory funded by Cleveland Clinic and National Institutes of Health, Dr. Feldstein and colleagues have been working on a simple, painless blood test that can detect fragments of a telltale protein – a “marker” for NASH.
They also have another goal. “If we can find a way to manipulate liver enzymes, we might be able to change NAFLD into a more benign condition,” says Dr. Feldstein. “It’s a big challenge, but I’m confident that in the next 10 years we will have more sensitive diagnostic tests that will provide a better way to treat and monitor patients.”
Pediatrician Allison Brindle, MD, who collaborates with Dr. Feldstein, adds that “we’re seeing more teens and children categorized as obese.” Evidence is mounting that genetics plays a role in NAFLD, but “it’s also important for kids to make positive choices like avoiding fast food, getting out from in front of the TV and getting the right amount of sleep.”
For an appointment at our Children’s Hospital, please call 216.444.KIDS (5437).
The Gift of Discovery
Studying Brain Changes in Autism
Autism spectrum disorder can cause cognitive problems that last a lifetime. How a change in genetic coding, or DNA, affects the brain in children with autism spectrum disorder is now the focus of research at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital Center of Autism.
“Findings from this research could help determine the potential benefits of early childhood screening for genetic changes and alterations in brain structure,” explains Thomas Frazier II, PhD, Director of Research for the center. “This may lead to the development of personalized medications that directly target the genetic changes associated with autism spectrum disorder.”
Not every child with this disorder has the same kind of genetic mutation. However, understanding one mutation could lead to understanding many different types of autism, says Dr. Frazier.
His study is partially funded by a training grant from the National Institutes of Health and is conducted in conjunction with Dr. Charis Eng, Chair of the Genomic Medicine Institute.
“The research would not be possible without a philanthropic gift, which was a factor in being chosen for the NIH training grant,” says Dr. Frazier.
For an appointment at our Children’s Hospital, please call 216.444.KIDS (5437).
The Gift of Safety
Avoiding Unnecessary Radiation
Keeping children out of harm’s way is the number one priority of Janet Reid, MD, Head of Pediatric Radiology and Director of the Pediatric and Fetal MRI Center at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.
That’s why she is so passionate about Image Gently, the national campaign to ensure that children who need CT (computerized tomographic) scans are exposed to the smallest dose of radiation possible without compromising the effectiveness of treatment.
CT scanning uses special X-ray equipment and computers to produce images of the body for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that may be life-threatening. Despite the test’s obvious benefits, the link between radiation and increased cancer risk is a concern, especially for children, who are more sensitive to radiation than adults.
“We have been practicing low-dose CT scanning for the last 10 years,” says Dr. Reid, who is also researching methods to further reduce CT doses. “Now, we want to make sure that the general public, pediatricians and pediatric radiologists know about the Image Gently campaign.”
Children’s Hospital radiologists are careful to recommend CT scanning only when there is a clear medical benefit, she says. Whenever possible, they’ll recommend alternatives such as MRI and ultrasound. But when a CT scan proves to be the best option to diagnosis a child, they go to great lengths to use the lowest dose of radiation possible.
“We hope that our actions have a far-reaching impact,” says Dr. Reid. “By making these changes at Cleveland Clinic, we hope to help all children who require imaging in the future.”
For an appointment at our Children’s Hospital, please call 216.444.KIDS (5437).
